


Falling

by HimuraMasaki



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Muggles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 10:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18914710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HimuraMasaki/pseuds/HimuraMasaki
Summary: Begins in the summer after 4th year. Draco Malfoy accompanies his father to Muggle London, and through a series of coincidences, ends up meeting someone rather...interesting.I might end up hating this and taking it down, but it's here for now. It was just a random idea I had, and then wrote at 3AM, so please review and let me know if it's any good!





	Falling

Ah, summer. What a brilliant season. It’s warm out, and there’s so much beauty everywhere you look, and there’s no school. Not that school itself was necessarily bad for a certain blonde. It just meant that he could avoid a certain brunette for a while. And not seeing Potter was as good an excuse as any to be happy.

 

Well, most of the time anyway. This morning, Draco Malfoy was getting ready to head out with his father. It was the summer before fifth year, and his father wanted to take him out to get some clothes, some books, and mostly, just order Draco around, as per usual. Draco didn’t really hate it. Okay, that was a lie, Draco despised every moment of it, and more than anything, he despised that he couldn’t say anything about it. He just wanted to scream some days, and tell his father that he didn’t care about what the Dark Lord said. Of course, the whole Wizarding World was going crazy after Potter’s claims, and the Minister was trying to hush it all up. Only Draco knew for certain that Potter was right. It pained him to even think it, but it was fact. He hadn’t met the Dark Lord, but his father had confirmed the rumours to him. He wasn’t sure how many other children of Death Eaters knew, but he knew for a fact that this was true. He almost felt pity for Potter, being berated every day in the papers, even though for once in his miserable life, he was right about something. Draco sighed and looked in the mirror as he combed his hair.

 

His reflection in the mirror gave him a cocky smirk, “A little to the left, you have a couple of flyaways.”

 

Draco rolled his eyes and combed those down before stepping away and looking at himself. At Hogwarts, he was generally seen in a lot of black when he wasn’t in the school robes, but when going to Muggle London, he was asked to dress mildly so he would fit in. His father seemed extremely repulsed to have to go to Muggle London, but it didn’t seem like he had a choice. So Draco had dressed himself in a pair of plain, light blue jeans and one of the numerous black button-down shirts he owned. He had the sleeves folded up so they were about 3/4 length. He hadn’t a clue what to dress like to “fit in,” but he reckoned dressing like he didn’t give a damn would do the trick. He sighed and slipped on a pair of Muggle sneakers (which were really just his own dress shoes, but with a glamour on them) and walked down the stairs of Malfoy Manor. There had been days when some of the other Death Eaters would visit his home, and those days usually left Draco feeling rattled and uncomfortable, but this was not one of those days. It was just a number of house elves running around, doing their chores, his mother sitting at a desk, writing away, and his father waiting for him in the open-doored study. He stepped up to the door and knocked on the frame, “Father, I’m ready.”

 

Lucius Malfoy had his long locks pulled back into an elegant ponytail. He turned around to face Draco with a tall, dignified and respectable posture. Draco almost immediately found himself straightening out his own back, trying to match his father’s posture. How he had looked up to that back throughout his short life. Lucius, despite being the one to order Draco to dress “casually,” wore nothing out of the ordinary. He wore a black suit with a black shirt, so there was nothing but black on him. He gave Draco a nod of approval and walked them to the fireplace, “Well then, Draco. Shall we?” He stepped inside the fireplace first himself with a handful of Floo Powder, called out the name of a street in London city and dropped the powder. He was gone in the flash. 

 

Draco eyed the empty fireplace for a moment before quickly stepping outside and into the library, looking at his mother. “Mother, Father has already left. I will be leaving now as well. “

 

Narcissa Black-Malfoy turned in her chair with a kind smile at Draco, “Stay safe, sweetheart. See you soon.”

 

Draco nodded and strode back to the fireplace with a handful of Floo Powder. He echoed his father’s words and was out of their in a quick second. He hadn’t ever done this, but apparently his father had already figured out where to go so no Muggles would see them using Floo Powder. He landed up in the fireplace inside an unused building in Muggle London to the sight of his father waiting impatiently for him. He quickly stepped out and dusted his clothes. Without so much as a look at his son, Lucius turned around and began walking towards their destination. Draco quickly followed after, wondering where they were headed. A few moments later, they had arrived in front of a tall building. Lucius turned around, “From here, I will go alone. Feel free to entertain yourself with anything you can in this dull Muggle city. Don’t wander far, Draco.”

 

Draco nodded curtly and his father was gone within the second. Why had he even been asked to come along in that case? The young teen mumbled angrily as he walked away from the building. How was he supposed to entertain himself when everything around him was made by Muggles, the very people he had been taught to hate his whole life?! He grumbled as he looked around before ducking into the first store he found. They seemed to sell…coffee. Okay, that was okay. Draco could pretend he wanted coffee. He looked around the store for a couple of minutes, and by that time, he was already at the front of the line.

 

“Hi there, what can I get you?” The order taker seemed very enthusiastic. A little too much so.

 

Draco tilted his head and replied dryly, “Er, a coffee.”

 

The server’s smile didn’t waver for a moment, and she continued, still thoroughly excited, “What size can I get you? We run in small, medium and large!” She pointed at the sizes as she said the names.

 

“Er… Medium, I suppose.” Draco’s voice was still as uninterested as before.

 

“Right then,” the server continued, “What kind of roast would you like? We have blonde, light, medium or dark. Or our breakfast blend, which is a bit of a special one.”

 

Draco blinked a couple of times. Was coffee so confusing? “Er… Light?” He tried not to make it sound too much like a question.

 

“Of course,” the server said, still smiling brightly. It almost made Draco feel a little sick. “Would you like anything in your coffee?”

 

That was it! How many questions would she ask before she just brought out the bloody cup of coffee and handed it to him?! He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Who knew ordering a coffee would be such a huge task. As he contemplated, a soft voice rang from right behind him, “Um, you know what! I think my friend here will just have what I have. So we’ll get two caramel lattes to go please?” A hand stretched out from behind Draco’s left side and set a 10-pound bill on the counter. The server nodded and handed the hand their change. 

 

It was only when the two walked over to the side to wait for their drinks that Draco turned around to give this person a piece of his mind. When he turned around, he saw some bright green hair. He blinked a couple of times and stepped back a little so he could see the whole face. The male who “saved” him was about 2 inches taller than him, and with his hair dyed deep green. It looked quite nice with the pale skin. Draco looked into the male’s hazel brown eyes crossed his arms, “I didn’t need your help.”

 

The male nodded and smiled, “I’m sure. Are you new here?”

 

Draco tilted his head and sighed, “Something like that. Why did you do that?”

 

The male shrugged and shook his head, “I don’t know. I just felt like being good today, maybe~” He teased a bit and gave Draco a toothy grin. He then held his hand out with a warm smile, “Name’s Cameron.”

 

Draco eyed the Muggle’s hand in mind disgust for a moment before sighing and taking the other male’s hand with a nod, “Draco. Draco, er…Marks.” Deciding it was probably not a good idea to give away his real name, he spat out the first ‘m’ word he could think of. He looked up at the taller male, the corners of his lips tugging upward ever so slightly.

 

The Muggle, Cameron smiled and took their lattes when they were served and held one out to Draco, which Draco wordlessly took. He smiled and tilted his head, “Would you like to sit and drink? Or would you like to go for a walk? Unless of course, your parents are expecting you.”

 

Draco sighed and shrugged a bit, “I don’t think so, no. I’d know if he was looking for me. I suppose we can walk.” Why was he agreeing to this? He was _Draco Malfoy_ , for Merlin’s sake! Why was he agreeing to walk around _Muggle_ London with a _Muggle_ male? He sighed a bit at the realization and followed the green-haired male out of the cafe. Draco could not help but look at the male’s hair. It was so fluffy, and healthy-looking, and so…green! It was really beautiful. There was a lot that Draco questioned, but at least he could rest easy that this Muggle liked the Slytherin colour. As they stepped out, Draco looked down at his suspicious drink, bringing it up and taking a short sip from it. 

 

Just then, Cameron had turned around, perhaps to ask Draco something, but he caught sight of Draco’s grey eyes lighting up, and a soft, almost inaudible gasp of delight escaping the blonde’s lips. Cameron couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit, “So I take it you liked that then?”

 

Draco cleared his throat and looked away, trying not to let his enjoyment show on his face, “It’s alright.”

 

Cameron smiled and tilted his head, reaching over and brushing a hair out of Draco’s eyes, “You look like you love it. So, Draco. What brings you to London? Just visiting or did you family just move?”

 

Draco blinked a couple of times. That was…a sudden change in the conversation, though it was welcome. “Just visiting I suppose. My father had a meeting.”

 

Cameron nodded, “Sucks when they leave you to yourself in the big city, huh?”

 

Draco shrugged a bit, “I..er, guess?”

 

Cameron smiled and tilted his head as he lead them down a moderately busy street, though always making sure Draco was right next to him, “So how old are you? I’m seventeen!”

 

Draco tilted his head, “I…just turned fifteen. What’s with all the questions?”

 

Cameron shrugged, “Oh, I don’t know. I thought I’d try getting to know you as I walked with you. I will apologize if I came across as snoopy.”

 

Draco shook his head slowly, taking another sip of his latte, “Er… This is really good.”

 

Cameron grinned and tilted his head, “I thought it was just alright?”

 

Draco shot Cameron a glare, but it was brief. For some reason, he couldn’t seem to hold it for longer than a couple of seconds before his face softened. Cameron’s face was unlike the typical Gryffindor’s. Even though he was a Muggle, it didn’t irk Draco to just be in the same vicinity. He sighed, “Git.”

 

Cameron shrugged and held his free hand up, “Guilty as charged. So how much time do you have? Can I take you to see some sights?”

 

Draco blinked a couple of times, “Er…why?”

 

Cameron shrugged, “I don’t know. You seem a little clueless, and I feel like if I leave you, you’d get into trouble? And it’s your first time here, so it couldn’t hurt to look around!”

 

Draco sighed and looked around for a moment. Well, it couldn’t hurt too badly, right? Worst case, he could just blame it on this Cameron. Didn’t seem like he was going to leave the Malfoy alone anyway. He nodded and took a deep breath, “Fine. I’d say I have an hour? I can’t go far though.”

 

Cameron’s face lit up, and his brown eyes widened, “Brilliant! How about the riverside? London Bridge is pretty far to walk to, but we can probably just see it from near here!”

 

Draco sighed and nodded, showing his hand to action Cameron into leading the way, “Are you always this enthusiastic?”

 

Cameron shrugged, “I think so. Though it might also be because you’re quite the looker.”

 

Draco furrowed his eyebrows at that. Now, Draco Malfoy knew for a fact that he was a looker. There was no question about it. But somehow, being told that by a stranger, and a male was…odd. He shook his head and tried not to dwell on the passing remark. He followed Cameron down the busy street until they started down a narrow, far more empty street. Instinctively, Draco slipped his hand to his pocket, gently touching his wand, just in case. It quickly turned out that he did not need to worry about that. At the end of this small street was a pavement along the river, and the coast beyond it. His grey eyes couldn’t help but light up ever so slightly. “It’s beautiful,” he blurted out.

 

“Isn’t she?” Cameron chimed in, causing Draco to realize that he had spoken out loud. Cameron smiled and sipped his latte, watching the gentle waves hitting the rocks. Draco didn’t reply. He didn’t feel the need to. Instead, he just stood there, beside the Muggle, sipping on a Muggle drink while watching the River Thames in all its beauty. It was definitely no less than 5 minutes later that Cameron broke the silence, nudging Draco gently, “You want to walk a lil’ bit? If we walk about 5 minutes this way, you’ll be able to see the bridge in the distance.”

 

Draco’s lips tugged upwards ever so slightly, causing him to _almost_ smile. He shook his head, “Maybe the next time. This is really brilliant already.”

 

Cameron nodded and walked just a little bit regardless, before sitting down on a bench. Draco sighed and followed him, sitting down beside him. Cameron smiled and tilted his head, “So… Tell me a little about yourself?”

 

Draco pouted a bit, “There you go again with the questions!”

 

Cameron chuckled a little bit, “Well, I’m sorry for trying to make a friend, Mister Marks.”

 

Draco looked up at Cameron and bit his lip, sighing a bit. “I can’t tell you about myself.”

 

Cameron tilted his head, albeit with intrigue and a slight sparkle in his eyes, “Are you a spy? It totally makes sense! Draco Marks? I thought that name sounded strange! Nobody names people Draco anymore!”

 

“Draco is a perfectly normal name! I happen to like it!”

 

Cameron looked down, awfully dejected, “Not a spy then.”

 

Draco felt something building in him, he wasn’t exactly sure what. Before he knew what was happening, he had his free hand over his mouth and he was shaking gently with a chuckle. Now, Draco had laughed in his life. A lot. This isn’t some sob story about how a boy finally learned to laugh at 15. But Draco had never _really_ laughed. So maybe it is a sob story. Because every time Draco Malfoy had ever laughed in the past, it was in mockery, not simply from enjoyment or contentment. So this was a very odd, yet nice feeling for him.

 

Cameron tilted his head and couldn’t help but join in on the chuckling, “I _am_ a little childish, aren’t I?”

 

Draco managed to control himself after about a minute and shook his head, still smiling, “A little?”

 

Cameron pouted, “Well, if you won’t tell me about yourself, I suppose I’ll just have to do the talking, won’t I?” He sighed and took a sip, before continuing, “Well, I’m seventeen, in my final year of secondary school. I’m planning on studying philosophy in college, and then going on to do law, but we’ll see if I get there. And if my plans stay the same. My father also had a meeting nearby, which is why I am loitering around the streets of London.”

 

Draco tilted his head and sighed, “Er. Interesting…”

 

Cameron tilted his head, “You’re an odd one, Draco.” Draco’s eyes widened at that. Nobody called him by his first name except his family or very close…friends. But here, this Muggle had done it so casually within minutes of meeting the blonde. He sighed and shrugged it off, since he had been the one to give a false last name, after all. Cameron continued, “Are you just awkward, or do you not like me? Or maybe you just don’t like people at all?”

 

Draco bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, “Ehm. I just have a tough time…with first meetings is all. S-Sorry.” Why was he apologizing?! He hadn’t even done anything wrong!

 

Cameron sighed in relief and tilted his head, “I’m glad. I thought it was me.”

 

Draco tilted his head, “Do I look like someone who would come on a walk with someone I don’t like? Besides, I don’t even know you, I think it’s too soon to decide whether or not I like you.”

 

Cameron lit up and grinned at that, “Oh, but I like you, Draco! Are you hanging around the city for a while? I’d love to meet again sometime!”

 

Draco blinked a couple of times before sighing. It couldn’t be too bad to come to Muggle London every now and then, could it? Cameron seemed like a nice enough bloke, and there seemed to be a lot to see here. He could surely tell his parents that he was going over to Blaise’s, and then apparate to London from Blaise’s place. Blaise would probably never let him live it off, but he wouldn’t care. And there was a little bit of time before school began anyway. He sighed and nodded, “Well, I can come to town every now and then. I’m sure my family wouldn’t care. How will I know where to find you?”

 

Cameron grinned and dug through his little satchel, pulling out a small diary and a pen. He scribbled something before ripping out the page and handing it to Draco, “Here you go, that’s my address! I’m almost always home. If I’m out, my mum will let you in and you can wait for me, yeah? Don’t worry, she’s not scary.”

 

Draco chuckled a little bit again and nodded, pocketing the piece of paper, “I wasn’t expecting her to be… But thanks. It’s, er…nice, I guess.. To know that there are nice mu- people in London.”

 

Cameron grinned widely, from ear to ear, at that, “So you _do_ like me after all!”

 

Draco pouted and turned away, “I’m never coming back.”

 

Cameron snickered a bit and sipped his latte. There was a few moments of silence as Draco finished his drink and stood up. He sighed and turned to Cameron, “Well, I should be getting back. Sorry for the trouble today.”

 

Cameron stood up and smiled down at Draco, taking the empty cup from the younger male to throw away. “At times like this, don’t apologize. A thank you will suffice.”

 

Draco blinked a couple of times, feeling blood rising to his face. The young wizard looked quite flushed as he muttered out, “T-Thank you.”

 

Cameron smiled and nodded, “You’re welcome.”

 

Almost as if a button had been pressed, a voice echoed from behind them, “Draco? Come on, we’re leaving.”

 

Instantly, the colour drained from Draco’s face and he gulped nervously. He turned around to see Lucius standing near a building. He sighed and gave Cameron a weak smile before striding back towards his father, not wanting the man to know that there was any conversation at all between the wizard and the Muggle. As Draco approached Lucius, the latter turned on his heel and began walking back to the payphone booth from where they entered the city. Lucius turned to him after they reached the payphone, “Was that a Muggle you were with?”

 

Draco shrugged and gulped, “Er, we just sat on the bench together. He doesn’t go to Hogwarts, so he may be a Muggle.”

 

Lucius nodded quizzically, “Hm. Well, as long as you’re not befriending those degenerates.”

 

That hit close to Draco’s heart after the incidents of the day, but what could he say? He muttered a soft, “Yes, Father,” as he continued to walk, his head hanging in guilt, though he couldn’t tell what he felt guilty for. Was it for lying to his father, or for talking to a muggle? Or was it for not fighting back and not telling his father that Cameron was actually a decent fellow and did not deserve to be called a degenerate? He sighed and followed his father to an empty street, where Lucius grabbed Draco’s shirt collar and apparated them back to Malfoy Manor. 

 

At the Manor, Narcissa was waiting by the fireplace. Draco staggered a bit once his feet touched the ground. He still was not very used to apparating. His kind mother gave him a slight smile and dusted his clothes gently, “How was London?”

 

Draco shrugged and bit his lip, knowing his parents had no interest in his actual thoughts, “Dull.”

 

Lucius shrugged and nodded, “Unsurprisingly. Well, I’ll be heading up. Have a house elf bring me some tea, would you Narcissa?”

 

Narcissa barely nodded as Lucius strode away. She smiled up at Draco once again, “Something smells good on your clothes. Is that caramel?”

 

Draco blinked a couple of times and shrugged, “I-I wouldn’t know. There were many people drinking coffee, so maybe that’s what it is.”

 

Narcissa gave him a look, but didn’t pry any further. Draco sighed and scurried up to his room and quickly pulled out his diary and a quill, writing in a hurry, _Blaise, the strangest thing just happened._

 

It took a moment, but then words began appearing in the charmed diary under his own, _What, did your father say he loves you?_

 

Draco almost laughed at that and continued to write with a frown, _Git, I said strange, not impossible._

 

Blaise Zabini, from the other end, wrote back in a few seconds, _Okay okay, so what happened?_

 

Draco sighed and bit his lip. How would he even talk about this? And what if Blaise were to judge him for it. He took a deep breath and began, _Okay, don’t overreact. And don’t tell me I’m crazy, I already feel that way. But I met a Muggle bloke when my father and I were in London. And honestly, he was a really decent bloke. It was just…easy, I suppose, to be around him. Does that even make sense?_

 

Blaise took a moment to reply, which made Draco a little nervous. Was Blaise laughing? Was he with someone else? The reply came after about two minutes. _You know that’s not THAT strange, right? Muggles are also just people._

 

Draco blinked a couple of times. He supposed that was the truth, but he had just never encountered a Muggle like this before. _I don’t know, it just seems strange to me. He was friendly- we drank coffee together and sat by the river. He asked me to come by again._

 

The reply was almost instantaneous: _Sat by the river with coffee? What are you two, a 70-year old married couple? But please tell me you said yes._

 

Draco felt his face flush lightly as he scribbled down _yes_ in a rather messy, bashful handwriting, especially when compared to his previous messages. This diary was one of the best things he and Blaise kept. The magic was pretty strong, so nobody else could read their messages, and nobody could intercept them, since they had Professor Snape help them charm the books, though they had already done most of the work by then. It made the summer time a lot more enjoyable, especially when something eventful happened to either of them.

 

Blaise wrote back in a jiffy, _When are you going to see him next? Do you need help sneaking out of the Manor? I assume you need help sneaking out of the Manor. My mother is almost never home, so it’s just me and the elves. And you know, you’re always invited, even if it is just a middle ground before running off to London._

 

Draco blushed and sighed. What had he done to deserve such an encouraging friend? It was almost a bit much at times. He shrugged as he wrote back, _I will need help. I haven’t thought about when I’m going back, but soon, I reckon. I hope he doesn’t forget me._

 

_Don’t be ridiculous! People don’t give other people their home addresses and then forget about them!_ Draco could almost hear Blaise screaming through the text, in the most encouraging way of course. He sighed and nodded in agreement. There was truth to that. Even though Cameron seemed to be a bit childish and carefree, and maybe callous, he wouldn’t just give his home address out like a piece of chocolate!

 

_You’re right. Do you think tomorrow would be too soon?_

 

Blaise took a moment, but came back with a thoughtful response, _It depends. What are you hoping to do? Just fool around Muggle London? Or actually make a good friend? If you’re looking to just fool around, don’t go tomorrow. It would be misleading, and then it would be annoying for you if he thinks you want to be best friends or something._

 

Draco blinked a few times. Blaise had a good point. And Draco didn’t have an answer. He was just so taken in with Cameron’s personality that he knew he wanted to meet the male again. He had no idea what he wanted out of this. Was he looking for a friend? He sighed and wrote these feelings to Blaise as they came to him, and concluded with, _What do you think?_

 

Blaise sighed and took another moment, surely writing up another well-thought response. _I think you could go tomorrow. It looks to me like you just want a connection outside of the Wizarding World. It looks to me like you want a friend, or just someone, who doesn’t know about You-Know-Who, and who will just treat you like a normal person, rather than the Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy. Am I wrong?_

 

Was he ever? No. Blaise somehow seemed to be the person who knew Draco even better than Draco knew himself. He sighed and nodded, _I’ll come over tomorrow morning. Send me a message when your mum leaves, and I’ll hop by. We can actually talk about this, and then I’ll go to London._

 

_Works for me. I’ll let you know then._

 

Draco closed his diary, which automatically erased all messages within it. He sighed and leaned back in the armchair, thinking back on his day. He lifted his arm and buried his nose in his shirt sleeve, taking a deep breath. “Hm, caramel…”


End file.
